Ball catching and throwing device



June 24, 1930. K. R. UHLlG BALL CATCHIN'G AND THBowING DEVICE'- Filed Jan. 26, 1929 fawn im@ Patented June 24, 1930 UNITED STATES KARL ROBERT UHLIG, or sername@ ienniymnr. 1

BALL-GATCHING Ann rnnowinopnvronf" PATENT oFFICiE i i Application filed January 26, 1929, Serial No. 335,226, and in Germany January 27',V 19281y This invention relates to a device for catchingand throwing balls and consists in the provision of a casing containing a'hollow,

spring-pressed plunger wherein a spr1ng-con t5 trolled rod carrying a ball-catching shell is arranged to slide, the plunger being retained in depressed position in opposition to its spring, by latches which tend to release 1t and which are vnormally prevented from so 3 doing by a wedge connected to the rod, said wedge being adapted, on the depressionof the rod by the impact of a ball on the shell, to re-. lease the latches so as to enablethe plunger to throw the ball.

Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawings represents a longitudinal sectional view of lli the `preferred form of the device showing the plunger in extended position,

Fig. 2, another sectional view of the device il? showing the plunger depressed for use, and

Fig. 3, a part elevation of the device. The device comprises a cylindrical casing l which is secured at one end,'by means of a screw-bolt 3 to a hollow stem 2, the other end of the casing being closed by a screw-cap 22 which is formed with acentrally disposed, open sleeve 20. The casing serves as a guide for the head 9 of a hollow plunger the stem 8 of which is guided in the sleeve 20. A solid "I* core 12 fitted in the head 9, isprovided with an axial bore 11 and with a dialnet-ral bore 10. In each end portion of the diametral bore a latch is mounted which comprises a holt 15, a spring 16 and a guide disc y13, the latter being mounted on the bolt. Another disc 17, which yis screwed into the outer end of tne bore, guides the end of the bolt which passes through an aperture in the head 9 for engagement with an aperture 31 in the casing 4? 1. The spring 16 two discs 13 and 1l, from the casing.

A rod 25 is' arranged to slide in the plunger stem 8 and is guided in the bore 11 of the core 12 and in the outer end 8a of said stem. A pear-shaped wedge 28 whichl extends from the inner end of the rod 25, serves as an abutwhich bears against the tends to release the bolt ment for the inner ends 14 of the latch bolts 15. A spring 23, which surrounds the rod 25, bears against a collar 24 on the latter and against the core 12 and tends to hold the wedge 28 in a position in which it maintains the latch bolts in engagement with the apertures 31. On the rod 4being depressed in opposition to the spring 23, the narrow portion 27 of the wedge takes the thrust `of the latches and allows them to be retractedso as to release the plunger. The Outer, projecting end 26 of the rod25 carries a concave shell 29 which serves as a ball catcher and thrower. The throwing is effected by means of the plunger which for this purpose is controlled by a spring 19 which surrounds the stem 2 and a tube 18 which latter is connected by means of a flange to the core 12 and is adapted to telescope within the stem 2. An operating handle 4 is secured to the stem 2 by means of a tang 5 and a screw-bolt 7 and carries a hand-protecting shield 6. A headed screw 33, secured to the head 9 of the plunger, engages in alongitudinal slot 32 in the casing 1 and prevents rotary displacen ment between the plunger and the casing. A soft insertion 21 in the screwcap 22 serves as a buffer for deadening the shocks of the 7 plunger head. Y

The plunger is depressed for operation by placing the shell 29 against the ground and pushing the casing downwards on the stem 8 as far as possible, the latch bolts 15 being then in alignment with the apertures 31.- As soon kas the pressure `in the casing is relieved, the rod 25 moves forwards and dis places the wedge 28 bet-Ween the latches so y as to force the latter into engagement with the apertures 31, thereby locking the plunger in depressed position, as shown in Fig. 2. If now the device is operated so as to catch a ball in the shell 29, the impact of the ball on the latter will cause the rod 25 to be depressed so as to release the latches and the plunger, whereupon the latter will react on' the shell so fas toV throw the ball.

Iclaim:

1. A ball-catching and throwing device comprising a casing, a'spring-pressed, hollow plunger fttedin saidcasing, a spring controlled rod arranged t-o slide in said plunger, a ball-catchingshell carried on the outer end of the rod, latches adapted toretain the plunger in depressed position in the casing in opposition to its spring, springs tending to release the latches, and a Wedge on the rod adapted to retain the latches normally in operative position and to release them and the plunger on being depressed by the impact of a ball on the shell.

2. A device as claimed in claim l wherein the lat-ches consist of bolts mounted radially in the plunger and are adapted to engage in apertures in the casing, and wherein the Wedge is round and pear-shaped. Y

KARL ROBERT UHLIG. 

